plainsong
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See also: plain-song and plain song
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From plain + song, calque of Latin cantus planus.
Noun
plainsong (countable and uncountable, plural plainsongs)
- (music) A form of monophonic chant in unison using the Gregorian scale, sung in various Christian churches.
- Synonym: plainchant
- (music) A cantus firmus or theme chosen for contrapuntal treatment; so called because often an actual fragment of plain-song.
- (music) The simple notes of an air, without ornament or variation.
- (by extension) A plain unvarnished statement, without exaggeration.
Translations
monophonic chant
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See also
References
- “plainsong”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.